Culinary & Wine Tours> Italy> Secret Le Marche

Italy: Secret Le Marche
Le Marche, Italy - 7 nights

Discover Italy's secret region of Le Marche where you will find some of the cleanest coastline of the Adriatic sea offering up an enormous range of crustacea, mollusks and fish and further inland, the coastal plain boasts olive groves and verdicchio vineyards. Shepherds can be seen in the distance, tending their sheep, creating the creamy-sharp pecorino cheese characteristic of this region. Wooden fences keep out the wild boar, another local specialty, as are other types of game such as venison, hare and wildfowl. Prosciutto, salami and ciauscolo mature in cellars next to last year's wine.

Le Marche is so unspoilt by tourists and other visitors that it has remained almost in a time warp. Every inhabitant has a piece of land where he grows his own vegetables, keeps chickens for their eggs, and, if there is room, grows grapes for wine and olives for oil. The pace of life is slow. It is not unusual to see donkeys used for transport or to have to stop your car and wait for the sheep to cross. Here no one gets frustrated by these little delays. It's part of the charm of the place.

Camerino is the closest town to the cooking school. Cobbled, narrow streets and mediaeval fortification walls characterize this historic town which did battle with Cesare Borgia and housed Crivelli and the famous 14th century Camerino school of painters. There has been a university here since 1336. With the high population of educated people there is much innovation in the food, restaurants and wines of the region combining old rustic traditions with new schools of thought and highly appreciative palates.

Your chef for the week is English-born Angeline, now a resident of Italy, who has been passionate about Italian food and culture since her first visit to Italy when she toured out of the way villages in little known areas of this rich and diverse country, meeting with little old ladies, grandmothers; in short, the people who really know how to cook, who have worked the land for years, use their own produce when it is abundant and in season, and have the most exacting of food critics: their husbands!

After graduating in Classics, Angeline turned to her real love in life: cooking. She has worked for a variety of prestigious restaurants and catering companies in London and the diplomatic community in Rome as chef, manager and organizer. Her philosophy on food is simple: Excellent ingredients, prepared with real enthusiasm make excellent food.

Your cooking classes will take place in a grand 17th century ‘casa padronale’ lovingly restored by the owners. The grounds include a kitchen garden, vineyard, formal garden, fruit trees and hillside meadow for sun bathing and walks. It is situated in a sleepy farming hamlet with stunning views of the mountains, forests, fields and hills.

Guests will stay in a local ‘Agriturismo’. These hallowed places are typical in the Italian countryside. They are old farmhouses which have been lovingly restored by their owners, and turned into quiet, rustic accommodation for people wishing to find peace in the countryside, and a taste of traditional Italy . They offer homemade produce for sale, as well as a restaurant where the majority of the ingredients that make up their traditional regional dishes are grown on the farm. Family run, they rarely boast more than three or four bedrooms. All are situated amongst rolling hills and woodland.

For spouses or partners not too keen on learning to cook the delicious meals they will eat, there is a wealth of activities available, and indeed, cooking is not compulsory for anyone, though relaxation is! Your time can be divided between swimming in the lake, walking in the hills, horse riding, or absolutely nothing at all. Bring a book and soak up the mountain quiet. The beauty of Le Marche has created a haven for artists who come from as far a field as New Zealand, America and Britain to stay and be inspired by the tranquil, stunning views. Painting can be arranged as an extra or alternative activity, as can horse riding, mountain walking and quad biking.

Summer Sample Itinerary

Saturday 
Afternoon arrival. We will collect you from Ancona airport, Fabbriano or Camerino railway stations and transport you to your accommodation.
7.30 pm. Welcome to the school with local aperitivi and prosecco. Dinner is prepared for you and served al fresco in the stone courtyard and finished off with herb flavoured digestivi or grappa.

Sunday
Awake to the peaceful surroundings of your agriturismo.
8.00 – 9.00 am . A breakfast of fresh seasonal fruit, yoghurt, bread still warm from the village bakery, jams and preserves and cappuccino give you the perfect start to the day.
9.30 am. Arrive at the cooking school. You will be given an introduction to the course, schedule, welcome pack to include recipes of everything you will taste and cook, course notes and your apron. Tour of the orto or vegetable garden and vineyard. Short cooking class.
1 00pm. Lunch made by you.
Afternoon at leisure. You might like to return to your accommodation for a siesta or take a stroll. Try the lake for swimming or sunbathing, or just soak up the quiet.
5.00 pm . Talk by our norcineria (prosciutto and salumi) and truffle expert, Luca Castraberte. Cooking class.
8.00 pm. Apertivi. Dinner made by you.

Monday 
8.00 – 9.00 am . Breakfast
9.30 am . Pasta making class. We learn how to make the perfect sauces to accompany the perfect dough which we roll out thin enough to read a newspaper through.
1.00 pm . Lunch made by you.
Afternoon at leisure.
5.00 pm . Olive oil tasting. Brief overview of Italian cheeses. Short cooking class.
8.00 pm. Aperitivi. Dinner made by you.

Tuesday  
8.00 – 9.00 am. Breakfast
9.30 am – 3.00 pm . Today we visit the coast and Civitanova Marche fish market to buy seasonal fresh seafood for our dinner. We visit a seaside restaurant kitchen and watch how to make pentolaccia, a traditional fish and shellfish stew, then sample it for lunch overlooking the waves. After lunch you are free to sunbathe and swim in the sunshine.
5.00 pm. Cooking fish.
8.00 pm. Aperitivi. Fish dinner made by you.

Wednesday
8.00 – 9.00 am. Breakfast
9.30 am. Pizza lesson. We learn to make pizza dough and suggest toppings.
1.00 pm. Marvelous, ludicrous fun. We travel to a local farm where we each cook a pizza in the traditional wood oven, taste each others and argue over which is best.
Afternoon at leisure.
5.00 pm. Wine tasting and talk on wine production, characteristics of Le Marche wines and a general overview of Italian wines versus the rest of the world. Short cooking class.
8.00 pm. Aperitivi. Dinner made by you.

Thursday
8.00 – 9.00 am. Breakfast
9.30 am. Today we visit two vineyards. First, Belisario: a large cooperativo where we can see commercial wine production on a large scale. They make good wines which we will taste in their enoteca. Then on to Bisci, small producers who make excellent, prize winning wines.
1.00 pm. Lunch from the orto
Afternoon at leisure
5.00 pm. Cooking class: how to bottle fruit and vegetables, make jams, preserves, pickles and relish.
8.00 pm. Aperitivi. Dinner made by you.

Friday
8.00 – 9.00 am. Breakfast
9.30 am. Trip to Montecavallo to see traditional prosciuto and salume production. Short picnic class in the hills
1.00 pm. Picnic lunch
Afternoon at leisure
5.00 pm. An introduction to liqueur making. Cooking class.
8.00 pm. Aperitivi. Farewell dinner made by you

Saturday
8.00 – 9.00 am. Breakfast
Departure for Ancona Airport

HOW TO ARRIVE

Closest Airports/Train Stations:
Ancona Airport
Ancona/Camerino Train Station

BOOKING INFORMATION
2008 FEES PER PERSON	DEPOSIT
Double Room/US$2700	After availability is confirmed, a deposit of US$750 per person and the completed and submitted registration form will secure your reservation. Final payment is due in full 60 days before your arrival date.
2008 DATES	INCLUDED
Winter January 5-12 January 12-19 January 26-February 2 February 2-9 Spring May 10-17 May 17-24 May 31-June 7 (Cooking in the French Alps - please inquire) Summer June 21-28 June 28-July 5 July 5-12 July 27-August 3 (Cooking in the French Alps - please inquire) Autumn August 30-September 6 September 6-13 September 13-20	*Seven (7) nights' accommodation *Nine (9) cooking classes (both "mini" and regular length) *Recipe book and apron *All meals *All excursions *Transfer to/from Ancona airport or Ancona/Camerino train station Airfare and personal expenses are not included.

For further inquiries or to register, click here.



CANCELLATION POLICY
There is a £250/$375 penalty charge for cancellations 60 days or more prior to the start of the course; £400/$600 penalty for cancellations 59 days to 30 days prior to the start of the course. Cancellations made 30 days prior to the start of the course will result in the loss of all monies received. Exceptions to this cancellation policy cannot be made for any reason, including personal emergencies. Cancellations to be made in writing to the Company, and must be made by the person who signed the booking form. Any such notice will become effective from the date of receipt by the Company. There is no refund for leaving a program early or arriving late. The operator reserves the right to cancel any program prior to its start, in which case all monies will be refunded. The Company cannot accept responsibility for any cancellations or effects on your course due to war, threat of war, civil strife, industrial dispute, terrorist activity, natural or nuclear disaster, fire or adverse weather conditions. Travel insurance is highly recommended.



CLIENT REMARKS
Furnished upon request.